Grilled Veggie and Rice Salad with Fish Sauce Dressing

Omg.  This salad is so good.  Even Tim liked it, lamenting the lack of meat only somewhat, stating that, "maybe it would make a really good side... you know... to some meat."  I liked it on its own, but agree that it would also make a kick-ass side dish and/or bed for some Vietnamese-style grilled chicken (we made a recipe quite similar to this one at our Hoi An cooking class in June.)  

I had lots of fresh herbs left over from our Vietnamese pomelo salad last week and saw this herb-heavy, Vietnamese-esque recipe in my July 2012 Bon Appetit magazine... I am so glad I made it.  It's got a lot of ingredients, but don't be intimidated, as it's really quite easy once you light up the grill and is a great way to utilize all your summer veggies and herbs- corn, eggplant, zucchini, okra, mint, basil, cilantro.  Mmm.

I made only a couple small changes to the recipe- the dressing is supposed to have grilled Holland or Anaheim chilis, but here there are just cabe rawit (the little ones) and cabe besar (the big ones).  All are blow-your-face off hot and not really the equivalent of an Anaheim.  Thus, I decided to substitute with some Sriracha to taste.  Also, rather than plain white jasmine rice, I bought some whole-grain Javanese brownish/reddish rice and cooked it coconut milk substituting for 1/3 of the liquid.  I think the hearty, nutty rice and extra coconut flavor really put the finishing touch on the recipe.

Grilled Corn Salad and Fresh Mint Ice Cream

Tim and I were invited to a BBQ here in Jakarta this past weekend... the hosts made an awesome spread of great Aussie sausages, a whole baked red snapper with rosemary and some tasty steaks.  Our contributions to the meal were of the side-dish and dessert variety:  a grilled corn salad with feta, tomato, cilantro and a cumin-chili-lime dressing and fresh mint ice cream with chocolate chunks, both of which seemed to go over quite well with the crowd.

The salad was really tasty and easy.  Grill corn right on the cob until it's slightly charred, cut it off the cob and mix it with cherry tomato, chopped red onion and cilantro, and a lime vinaigrette flavored with chili powder and powdered cumin.  The only changes I made to the recipe was to toast the spices for the dressing in a dry pan until fragrant before adding them...  brings out the flavor.  Also, I skipped adding the whole cumin seeds, as ours were a little "off."

The mint ice cream was a big hit... while it wasn't florescent green like the stuff you get at the store, but it was better since it was full of natural mint flavor from steeping a bundle of fresh mint leaves in the cream before making the custard.  Awesome. 

Zucchini and Corn Fritters with Black Beans and Chipotle Cream

Zucchini and corn fritters: a good way to use up some summer veggies... fresh sweet corn cut off the cob and shredded zucchini. Topped off with a little bit of chipotle sour cream (or yogurt if you prefer)- chipotle in adobo sauce, green onion, lime- and some black beans.

Spicy, creamy, sweet, fresh. Mmmm.

Christy and Brendan made a similar recipe- rice and corn cakes - and said it was also delicious. I'll give it a try next time I have leftover rice!

Cheesy Toasted Corn Grits with Sauteed Okra, Bacon and Tomatoes

Take freshy fresh veggies from the CSA (crisp okra, super sweet orange cherry tomatoes, creamy sweet corn on the cob) and add these to more indulgent pantry staples (grits, bacon, sharp cheddar) and you get a pretty tasty meal of cheesy grits (with my addition of toasted corn kernels) topped with sauteed veggies and crispy bacon. I think I would add a dash or two of hot sauce to the saute, but otherwise it was pretty nice!

Roasted Potato Salad with Corn, Tomato and a Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette

Barbara requested a potato salad for her combo housewarming/birthday/last bash before the baby party... after the holiday weekend I felt a little over mayo-laden potato salads, so I decided to research some more funky potato salads.


This potato and corn salad recipe from the Splendid Table calls for lots of sunny summer produce, perfect for using up my fresh-from-the-farm corn on the cob, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, and red potatoes. I didn't follow the directions exactly since I didn't feel like turning on the grill, but I roasted the potatoes (which I had cut into bite-sized pieces), toasted the corn, onion, and jalapeno in a cast-iron skillet, and just whisked the dressing together rather than busting out and dirtying the blender.

Fresh, tasty, a little spicy, and definitely not mayo-y!

Carne Asada Tacos

Last week, Amy made some carne asada based on this recipe from the LA Times. She switched things up a bit, using straight adobo sauce instead of tomato sauce plus chipotle plus adobo, and with significantly less oil. Pretty good overall!I think if we made it again, we'd add more heat and perhaps a little more salt to the marinade. Also, our steak must have been thicker than the one used in the recipe, as it took much longer to cook to medium rare.

Not pictured, but totally awesome with the carne asada: homemade tomatillo salsa. Mmm...

Indonesian Corn Fitters

The TV in the house is perpetually on The Food Network...and I tend not to watch. However, The Best Thing I Ever Ate was on and since the topic was "crunchy" it caught my attention. This was Brian Boitano's pick: Indonesian Corn Fritters from The E & O Trading Company Restaurant. I googled it...and this is what I came up with.



I made a 1/2 recipe...but could have eaten a full one. I used frozen corn...so they probably weren't as crunchy as they could have been...but they were still So. Damn. Good.

World's Easiest Turkey Chili

This chili recipe might just be added to my weeknight quick-and-easy dinner rotation... and maybe it should make its way into yours, too. No chopping for those knife-averse, cooks in 20 minutes for those short on time, uses exclusively pantry staple ingredients for those too lazy to hit up the grocery store, makes enough leftovers for those, like me, who have been dropping too much cash at crappy sandwich joints by the office, and, finally, it tastes pretty good!I made a couple small changes that worked pretty well: used 1 lb of ground turkey rather than chicken, black beans instead of pinto, and substituted a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce where the recipe calls for soy sauce. Switch it up to your taste!

Served with some baked tortilla chips, cheddar, avocado, cilantro and sour cream.

Okra, Corn and Tomato Saute with Cajun Grilled Shrimp

The end of summer is nigh... but the summer veggies keep coming! The CSA is still rife with corn, tomatoes, okra, peppers, and other summery goodies, though. I threw a whole bunch of these veggies together in a quick stir-fry, supplemented with a dash of hot sauce. Topped with some Cajun-esque grilled shrimp. Simple and delicious!

Okra and Tomatos with Skillet Cornbread

Tonight's meal perfectly captures the transition from summer to fall we're experiencing here in DC... summer ingredients from the CSA (okra, tomatoes, corn on the cob, jalapeno) and a warming, earthy, autumnal hint from the red wine reduction compliment our warm, but not sweaty days and breezy, maybe-I-should-have-brought-a-sweater nights.

Okra and tomatoes are quick-stewed with red wine, onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves, while the crispy skillet corn bread is kicked up a notch by fresh toasted corn and jalapeno, plus some grated cheddar cheese.

Thai Time: Thai Corn Fritters and Pad Kee Mao (kinda)

It was Thai time tonight at 1346.

A probably-not-authentic-but-tasty-nonetheless version of Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) with chicken and broccoli. The sauce has the quadruple threat: sweet, spicy, sour, salty.

Served alongside some delicious Thai-style corn fritters dipped in sweet chili sauce.

The corn fritters are tasty, but dangerous! Chuck was in charge of frying these up, but when the oil got hot and made contact with the corn kernels, they popped like popcorn. Actually, more like searing hot corn kernel mini bombs. Chuck has the battle wounds to show for it, too.
So, beware if you attempt these corn fritters. They are not to be fried by the faint of heart or those slow to react in the face of fast-moving projectiles.

Fire-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa

Tomato time continues!

Today's recipe was a fire-roasted corn and Roma tomato salsa, served on top of chicken quesadillas (chicken breast was rubbed with cumin, chili powder and garlic salt before cooking) with chipotle-lime sour cream. Yum.
This salsa is really nice- it's fresh, it has a kick, and the sweetness of the fresh corn compliments the acidity of the tomato and lime. Super easy, too, especially if you don't bother to peel the tomatoes (which I didn't because I was lazy).

Mexican Feast

I heard that chilaquiles is what people in Mexico eat when they're hungover. Today I think I still had a bit of a hangover from Chuck and Liz's party on Friday night, so I thought chilaquiles might do the trick. Stale corn tortillas, crisped up, cooked in roasted tomatillo salsa, topped with onions, sour cream, feta and a fried egg. Mmm.

Served with a side of Mexican-style street corn (off the cob, as Tim is due for a root canal tomorrow)... awesome.

Zucchini and Toasted Corn Tacos with Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Wow- I've made vegetarian tacos before, but these were by far the best. The toasted corn gave these a unique flavor- some awesome caramelization... mmmm.
Plus, topped with feta and freshly made salsa verde with CSA tomatillos: to die for.

Smoky Chipotle Corn Chowder

I know corn chowder seems like a weird thing to make when it's 95 degrees out and 300% humidity, but man, this chowdah hit the spot.

I've made bacon-based corn chowder in the past, but I didn't have any bacon in the house this weekend, and it was too hot to venture out to get some. So I thought the smoky chipotle in this recipe might make up for the smoky, meatiness of the bacon. It definitely did, no meat required! Thick, spicy, hearty... mmm.

The only changes I made to the recipe were to skip peeling the potatoes, used Cheddar instead of Monterrey Jack, pureed only half the chowah to keep some of the chunks, and skipped the ham.

Thanksgiving Extravaganza: The Sides and Desserts

The side dishes and desserts served at our Thanksgiving were provided by the gracious guests:

Butternut Squash Risotto, handmade by Ms. Guitar as a main dish for the vegetarians in the group.

Sourdough Bread Stuffing, by the always jovial Jenny (she switched it up a little by omitting the mushrooms, using veggie stock and adding more of everything else!).

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Lemon, expertly executed by Heather.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes, peeled by Meg, but made delicious by Chuck.

Scalloped Corn, a delicious Yehl family recipe made with loving attention to detail by Mark:

" I usually make the corn in that Corningware dish of mine- I think it's a 3 qt. I use 4 or 5 cans of regular corn- not cream- drained. Put in 1 cup of milk. If it's not soupy- put in another 1/4 cup. Sprinkle breadcrumbs across the entire top lightly and then do it again. Mix it up. Beat one egg for each can of corn. Pour in and mix it up. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.Okay here's the hard part- now I kind of play with it. If it's too dry I add a little more milk. If the breadcrumb doesn't seem to be enough to not make it dry but where you can really see it and it has thickened the consistency of the corn, I add more a little at a time. Put a teaspoon of butter or margarine- whatever you use- close to each corner and in the middle. Bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes. It needs to be cooked, but not dried out. You've seen and made it before, so hopefully you can tell the right consistency and know if it is done or not. Remember it seems to dry out a little more after you take it out of the oven."

Traditional Pumpkin Pies, possibly one of the last desserts to come out of Amy's New Hampshire Avenue kitchen.

Apple/Pear Galette, a rustic treat from Jenny.

Kabocha Squash Soup with Limey Corn Relish

I got a kabocha squash from my CSA this week and was looking for a unique way to cook it... I found this recipe on epicurious.com: Calabaza, Corn and Coconut Soup. Good pick!

This is a fun take on squash soup. It's creamy from the coconut milk and sweet from the squash, which is complimented by the limey, bright corn relish you drop in the soup after it's cooked. Yum. Give this a try- I highly recommend it!

I made a couple changes to the recipe: used one Kabocha squash and one delicata squash, two cups of frozen corn, half chicken stock and half water, one can of coconut milk, and a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot to the soup at the end.

I bet it would be even better if I had followed the recipe and used the corn on the cob- the cobs get cooked in the broth with the squash and probably impart some more corn flavor to the soup.

Chuckerd's Pie

Chuck had a hankering for some shepherd's pie recently, and we found ourselves rife with potatoes, ground beef and other veggies, so she went at it, with delicious results.

She used this basic recipe, but sassed it up with mushrooms, broccoli (from the CSA) and frozen corn instead of the typical peas and carrots. Pretty tasty! However, we decided that perhaps next time we would not pre-cook the broccoli (it got a wee bit grey) and that we might sprinkle the top of the potatoes with some sharp cheddar.

Skillet Cornbread!

Made this skillet cornbread to a) go alongside my butternut squash chili and b) utilize my pimpin' new cast iron skillet that Mike and Jamie gave me for my birthday.

(note: chiles added for artistic effect only)

It's kind of a semi-homemade trick, but amped up a little bit (plus, if the Washington Post approves of using the boxed mix, then I feel justified). I used 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix, mixed in the requisite amount of milk and eggs, and then threw in some fresh CSA corn that I cut off the cobs and sauteed quickly in some butter (2 ears). I used the 10.5 inch skillet.

I used this method of skillet-baked cornbread: while you're preheating the oven, throw the skillet in there to heat up, too. When you're ready to put the batter in, take the skillet out, throw a tablespoon or two of butter in there so it melts and coats the bottom/sides of the pan, then top it off with the batter and shove it back in the oven. Makes the crust super crispy and delicious!

The Unwrappable Burrito

Starring, in order of appearance:

Zucchini, black beans and corn taco filling (which I pumped up with a little adobo sauce)

Chipotle-esque cilantro lime rice (which is basically rice with a lime/cilantro/garlic pesto stirred in)

Homemade green tomatillo salsa/sauce

Awesome.